Heart of Project Shadow
by SmashQueen
Summary: A moment in Gerald Robotnik's life aboard the ARK. Prompt fill.


Part of a collection of prompts that I decided to upload by itself.

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Professor Gerald Robotnik poured over the reports on his desk, the single light built into the wall casting a small circle of light across his work space. Piles of papers were haphazardly sorted in a system only he knew, and sticky notes dotted his desk in yellow. His computer was only a swivel away, on standby in case he needed to edit something or send off a message for the morning shift.

Or if a probing message came in from the government. The President of the United Federation was a vain man, and though Gerald still had his doubts about reaching the demanded immortality, his research was making leaps and bounds towards revitalization. The Ultimate Lifeform prototype was developing quite nicely and would be soon prove his theory or show him where it was lacking. After that, he could fine tune the real one and open the capsule.

Maria was already so curious and excited for her new friend. Every time she saw Gerald, she would ask after Shadow. Would he wake up this week? Could he bake? Did he like pillow fights? Would he like chocolate chip cookies? Was his fur soft?

Gerald chuckled to himself as the memory resurfaced. One of the scientists had pulled out a photo of her pet tabby on Earth and Maria had cooed to the point of squeaking. As she was told about the varying fluffiness of cats in vivid detail, Maria's eyes had brightened in a way they always did whenever anyone talked about Earth. She was absolutely fascinated by it from the mundanity of trees and sidewalks to the breathing sight of the planet from the ARK's many windows.

She was such a free spirit, just like her mother. She wasn't yet shackled to any organization or government, and he doubted she ever would be. She saw everything with such optimism and innocence that it sometimes hurt. Should the Ultimate Lifeform succeed, Gerald had no doubt that his granddaughter would one day change the world, just as he was doing. A voice for peace and eyes that never held malice, she would go on to do great things.

She was already at the heart of Project Shadow, the reason everyone kept chasing after the impossible. She could move people with ease, encourage them and push them forward. So long as he could help it, he would preserve that good in her and keep her from the darker sides of humanity.

Heavens knew he was toeing the line of one already.

Gerald blinked purposefully, then lifted his mug to drain last of his coffee. Joanna's report called for a fourteen percent increase in Chaos Drives to keep the life support system going for the prototype. That he could do. There was a surplus of them down in storage area three. Fourteen percent wouldn't even make a dent in their supplies. The president was invested in their success, perhaps unhealthily so.

He gave a jaw-cracking yawn. A glance at the analogue clock told him it was close to three in the morning, Standard Federation Time. He could do a few more checks to ensure everything was in order. The prototype was adapting quickly. None of them could afford errors when they were this close to their dreams becoming reality.

Gerald scribbled out a few equations on some scrap paper, then compared them to two separate reports he had used the numbers from. The results were solid. The early morning shift takers could continue with monitoring duty, then.

Four hours, he decided. He would give himself four hours to rest before going over the new numbers for the prototype's growth, then go back to sleep. Maria would worry otherwise.

Gerald woke his computer from sleep, and typed out a note for the guys down in IT. That done, he put it in standby again, and left the room with his coffee mug. The lack of movement would make the light above the desk turn off in a minute.

Despite his fatigue, Gerald couldn't help but smile. He was absolutely positive that the prototype would work out. Once it was done growing and fully adapted to the Chaos Drives, he would run the data and give Shadow a final boost before waking him up,

Nothing said he couldn't introduce his granddaughter to another friend while the project was on-going.


End file.
